Collection Development Policy

Guiding Values

The Knight-Capron Library adheres to the American Library Association's Bill of Rights, Freedom to Read Statement, the Intellectual Freedom Principles for Academic Libraries, American Film and Video Association's Freedom to View Statement, and the Association of College & Research Libraries' Diversity Standard #4. 

Liaison Librarians are responsible for developing and evaluating collections in assigned subject areas.  Faculty are strongly encouraged to share in the selection of materials by recommending materials in their subject area. Although they may concentrate on those areas of the collection which correspond to their liaison assignments, librarians may select or withdraw in all areas since they are in the best position to observe the overall quality and balance in the collection and are faced daily with the demands and needs of the university community.

We collect materials in the most useful format for the content and intended use, bearing in mind the institution’s technical infrastructure and staff expertise available to support patron use of those resources. The scope and depth of the library’s collections vary by the level of degree offered in the respective programs. The definitions listed in the next section were adopted from the IFLA collection development guidelines cited below.

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. Section on Acquisition and Collection Development. (2001). Guidelines for a collection development policy using the conspectus model. [The Hague]: IFLA, Section on Acquisition and Collection Development.

Librarians will periodically evaluate digital and print collections in order to replace damaged materials, to identify gaps, and to anticipate future curricular needs. The elimination of such materials that are outdated, inaccurate, or academically unsupportive of current or near-future courses and programs is a necessary part of collection management.

• Due to unsustainable high costs and limited shelf space, the library generally does not collect textbooks related to current courses.  Individual professors may elect to place their personal copy of a textbook on reserve in the library for their students. 
• The library generally does not collect performance editions of musical compositions and instead gives priority to materials that benefit the music program generally rather than individual users. 

Library resources may be deselected if:​

• Items contain outdated or inaccurate information, and can be replaced by a more up-to-date resource
• Usage data, including checkouts, in-house use counts, and electronic use statistics, show little or no use over an extended period of time
• The cost to maintain ongoing subscriptions is prohibitively expensive
• Items are not relevant to existing or anticipated University programs and courses
• The information contained is not appropriate for the level of the program offered
• The medium or technology is obsolete or no longer supported

Materials withdrawn from the library collection are generally processed by:

• Placing them on the free book shelf for anyone to take
• Offering to the Better World Books Program when applicable
• Recycling according to the requirements of the respective format

• Selection of Materials on Controversial Topics | Policy
• Course Reserves | Policy

Approved By: Jenny Horton, Library Director

Last Updated: 30 September 2022